The 12 Best R&B Podcasts (2026)

TANK, the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer, teams up with multi-platinum songwriter and executive J. Valentine to host what has become the flagship podcast for R&B culture. R&B Money pulls back the curtain on the music industry through long-form conversations with artists, producers, engineers, and executives who have shaped the sound of rhythm and blues over the past several decades. The show covers everything from Keith Sweat's era to Pink Sweat$'s generation, and the hosts bring genuine insider knowledge to every episode.

With 178 episodes and counting, the catalog is substantial. TANK and J. Valentine have a natural chemistry that keeps interviews loose but substantive. They get guests to share stories about studio sessions, label politics, and creative decisions that rarely surface in typical press cycles. A recent episode featured Grammy-winning mix engineer Jaycen Joshua breaking down his production workflow and the mixing choices behind some major records. That kind of technical, behind-the-scenes access is what separates this show from more surface-level music commentary.

The podcast sits on iHeartPodcasts through The Black Effect Network and releases new episodes weekly. It carries a 4.8-star rating from nearly 1,000 reviews on Apple Podcasts, which reflects a dedicated listener base that treats each episode like appointment listening. The show is explicit-rated, as the conversations tend to be unfiltered and real. If you care about the business and craft of R&B as much as the music itself, this is the podcast that takes both seriously.

Three college friends known as Slap, J.C., and Yaz started Theoretikally R&B (TRNB) in 2023 as a passion project, and it has grown into one of the most community-driven R&B discussion shows around. The premise is straightforward: each episode picks a theme, era, or topic within R&B and the hosts break it down through conversation, debate, and personal reflection. They examine instrumentation, production choices, lyrical content, and the cultural context surrounding the music, all while keeping the tone fun and accessible.

The show has built up 99 episodes and holds a perfect 5.0-star rating from 43 reviews on Apple Podcasts, which is notable for a relatively young podcast without a major network behind it. Listener reviews consistently highlight the hosts' chemistry and the way they balance nostalgia with genuine critical analysis. One week they might be ranking the best R&B albums of a specific year, and the next they could be examining how a particular subgenre evolved from new jack swing to neo-soul.

New episodes drop weekly, and the most recent release as of February 2026 was "End of the Road," their 98th episode. TRNB functions as more than a podcast for its audience. It has become a community hub where fans of rhythm and blues feel like they have a place to geek out about the music they love without anyone dismissing the genre. The hosts never talk down to their audience or over-explain, which gives the show a relaxed, come-as-you-are quality that keeps listeners coming back.

Tyronza "Ty The Pod Guy" Hicks has been running R&B N' Chill since 2020, building it into a consistent weekly destination for R&B fans who want commentary, history, and artist interviews all in one feed. The show blends standalone episodes where Ty breaks down trends and cultural moments in R&B with interview episodes featuring artists, songwriters, and producers. A recent conversation with Deezle covered his journey from Cash Money Records to Grammy recognition, which gives you a sense of the caliber of guests the show attracts.

With 151 episodes in the catalog, there is plenty to work through. The format keeps things moving without rushing. Ty has an easygoing interview style that lets guests open up about their creative process and career paths, and his solo commentary episodes show a genuine depth of knowledge about the genre's history. He traces connections between eras and artists in ways that feel organic rather than academic.

The show carries a 4.9-star rating from its Apple Podcasts reviews and has maintained a steady weekly release schedule for over five years, which is impressive for an independently produced podcast. Episodes are explicit-rated, reflecting honest, unvarnished conversations about the music industry. Produced by Epic Echo Productions, R&B N' Chill fills a space between the big-network R&B podcasts and smaller fan shows, delivering production quality and guest access without losing the personal touch that made it work in the first place.

SoulBack comes from two of the longest-running R&B blog brands on the internet: YouKnowIGotSoul and SoulInStereo. The hosts have been covering R&B journalism for well over a decade, and that institutional knowledge shows in every episode. The format centers on weekly discussions about new R&B releases, throwback classics, and the broader state of the genre, with occasional deep-dive episodes focused on specific years, albums, or producers.

The show has amassed 274 episodes since launching in 2015, making it one of the most extensive R&B podcast archives available. Episodes like their fantasy drafts, where the hosts pick teams of R&B producers and debate who assembled the strongest roster, showcase the playful side of the show. Other episodes take a more serious look at why certain albums defined their era or how specific production trends changed the sound of mainstream R&B. The hosts bring real opinions and aren't afraid to disagree with each other, which keeps the discussions from becoming predictable.

SoulBack carries a 4.6-star rating from 25 reviews on Apple Podcasts. The release schedule has been less consistent in recent years, with the most recent episode dropping in December 2024, but the back catalog is deep enough to sustain weeks of listening. If you grew up on 90s and 2000s R&B and want a podcast that treats that era with the seriousness it deserves while still covering what's happening now, SoulBack is the show that has been doing it longer than almost anyone else in the space.

R&B ONLY started as a live event series that created dedicated spaces for R&B music in cities across the country, and The R&B ONLY Show is the podcast extension of that movement. Hosted by Jovy E., with co-host JABARI joining on select episodes, the show brings in R&B artists and songwriters for interview-driven conversations about their music, creative process, and career trajectory. The guest list includes both established names and rising artists who are shaping the next chapter of the genre.

The interview style leans conversational rather than interrogative. Jovy E. clearly does the homework before each episode, which allows guests to go beyond the standard press tour talking points. A standout episode featured 4batz discussing his rapid rise and the advice he would give emerging artists. At 47 episodes, the catalog is still growing, but the quality is consistent across the board. Episodes typically run 30 to 60 minutes, which is long enough to get substance without dragging.

The show holds a 4.8-star rating from 11 reviews and releases weekly. It carries an explicit content rating. What makes The R&B ONLY Show distinct is its connection to the live event world. The hosts understand what R&B fans actually respond to in a room, and they bring that same energy and taste level to the podcast format. The most recent episode aired in October 2025, so the show may be between seasons, but what's there is worth your time if you want interviews with artists who are actively making R&B right now.

Loreena hosts this biweekly interview show out of Canada, bringing on R&B artists and music industry figures from across North America and beyond. The show launched in 2021 and has steadily built its catalog to 83 episodes, with a focus on giving artists extended time to talk about their craft, influences, and the stories behind their music. A recent episode featured singer-songwriter Joe Leone discussing his album "Invited" and his songwriting process over the course of nearly an hour.

The interview format gives each guest room to breathe. Loreena asks thoughtful questions that go past surface-level biography and into the actual creative decisions behind the music. She has a particular skill for drawing out Canadian and independent R&B artists who don't typically get major podcast coverage, which gives the show a roster that feels different from what you'll hear on larger platforms. That said, the guest list is not limited to indie acts. The show has hosted a range of voices across the R&B spectrum.

Total R&B Podcast holds a 5.0-star rating on Apple Podcasts and maintains a clean content rating, which makes it accessible to a broad audience. New episodes land every two weeks, and the show has been consistently active through early 2026. For listeners who want to hear directly from R&B artists in longer-form conversations without a lot of filler or cross-talk, this is a reliable pick that highlights voices the bigger shows sometimes overlook.

Terry A. Ferguson hosts this educational soul music show with a mission that goes beyond entertainment: he wants listeners to understand the roots of rhythm and blues. Each episode is structured as a history lesson, spotlighting the artists, composers, arrangers, and songwriters who built the foundation of R&B and soul. The show covers figures and moments that mainstream music media often overlooks, giving proper credit to the people who shaped the genre from the ground up.

A Bowl of Soul has reached 101 episodes and maintains a perfect 5.0-star rating from 7 reviews on Apple Podcasts. Episodes release biweekly and typically run about an hour. A recent episode from February 2026 honored the musical artists who performed at Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push Expo in 1972, tying the music directly to the cultural and political context of the era. That kind of historical specificity is what makes this show stand out from more generalist music podcasts.

Ferguson's approach is curatorial. He selects the music, provides the context, and connects the dots between different eras and movements within soul and R&B. The show carries a clean content rating and has a warm, public-radio quality to its presentation. If you want to understand how gospel, blues, doo-wop, and funk all fed into what we now call R&B, this podcast does the work of tracing those lineages episode by episode. It is a genuine education wrapped in great music.

K'La Shawn launched The R&B Juke Joint in 2025, and in less than a year the show has already stacked up 61 episodes with a weekly release cadence that rarely misses. Each episode is built around a specific theme, and from that theme K'La Shawn assembles a playlist, shares fun facts about the featured artists, and adds musical twists that keep the format from feeling formulaic. A recent episode focused entirely on the ladies of Destiny's Child, tracing their individual and collective impact on R&B.

The show spans the full timeline of rhythm and blues, from classic soul to contemporary R&B, which gives it a wide appeal. K'La Shawn has an enthusiastic delivery that makes it clear she genuinely loves this music, and her episode themes are creative enough to keep regular listeners guessing what's coming next. The thematic structure also makes the show easy to sample. You can jump to any episode that matches your mood or interest without needing to follow a chronological thread.

The R&B Juke Joint holds a 5.0-star rating on Apple Podcasts and carries a clean content rating. Kimberly Barnes produces the show, and the social presence at @thernbjukejoint on Instagram suggests a growing community around it. For a podcast that is still in its first year, the consistency and energy are impressive. If you want a weekly R&B playlist experience with commentary and context baked in, this is a strong pick that feels like hanging out at a friend's house while they put on their favorite records.

BJ Barry, a veteran DJ turned podcaster, is working his way through a personal countdown of the 100 greatest R&B songs ever recorded, and each episode devotes its full runtime to a single track. The format is focused and deliberate: Barry provides historical context about the artist, breaks down what made the song significant, and connects it to the broader story of R&B as a genre. Episodes run about 15 minutes, which makes them easy to fit into a commute or a quick break.

The show started in 2019 and has released 14 episodes so far, with the most recent covering "Addiction" by Ryan Leslie and Cassie in February 2026. The pacing is slow by podcast standards, but that is by design. Each entry in the countdown gets the time and attention it deserves rather than being crammed into a rapid-fire listicle. Reviewer feedback praises Barry's ability to blend his experience as a working DJ with genuine music history scholarship, calling the episodes both insightful and entertaining.

100 Greatest R&B Songs holds a perfect 5.0-star rating from 8 reviews on Apple Podcasts and is produced by PODCAST EINS, hosted on Acast. The show is a long-term project that will take years to complete at its current pace, which is part of its charm. If you appreciate a single-song deep dive that treats R&B music as cultural heritage worth studying track by track, this podcast rewards patience with substance.

Chris Clay bills Soul Cafe as "the softest place on the planet," and the show delivers on that promise. It is part curated music show, part indie soul spotlight, running weekly countdowns of independent soul and R&B artists alongside commentary and interviews. The Indie Soul Top 30 Countdown is the flagship segment, ranking independent soul artists each week and giving exposure to musicians who are making excellent R&B outside the major label system.

Clay hosts live weekdays from 2 to 6 PM EST on soulcaferadio.com, and the podcast feed captures highlights and full countdown episodes from those broadcasts. Episodes tend to run over two hours, so this is not a quick listen. It is a full immersion experience for people who want to discover independent R&B and soul artists they would never encounter through algorithmic playlists or mainstream music coverage. The show has been running since 2017 and has 25 podcast episodes in the Apple feed, though the live radio output is much more extensive.

Soul Cafe carries a 4.6-star rating from 17 reviews on Apple Podcasts and maintains a clean content rating. NuSoul Productions LLC produces the show. For listeners who feel like the mainstream R&B conversation skips over too many talented independent artists, this podcast functions as both a discovery engine and a community gathering place. Chris Clay clearly cares about giving shine to artists who are putting in the work without major industry backing.

If you want R&B news without the time commitment of a full-length podcast, this daily briefing delivers headlines in under two minutes per episode. Created by Corey Cambridge as part of The Daily News Now network, R&B Music News Today covers breaking artist updates, new releases, chart movements, tour announcements, collaborations, and cultural moments across the R&B world. The format is built for speed. You get the essential information and move on with your day.

The show has produced 111 episodes since launching in 2025 and releases new briefings daily. That output volume means you are always getting the most current R&B news available in podcast form. Episodes are short enough to stack a few together if you missed a couple of days, and the clean content rating makes it suitable for any listening environment. The most recent episode from February 2026 covered David Hillyard and the Rocksteady Seven's new album announcement.

R&B Music News Today fills a specific niche that longer discussion podcasts cannot. It is not trying to replace in-depth commentary or artist interviews. Instead, it functions as a daily news wire for R&B fans who want to stay informed without dedicating 30 to 60 minutes per episode. Think of it as the morning briefing for your R&B listening life. The production is straightforward and efficient, which matches the show's promise of delivering news fast.

DJ-J-ME (Jamie Wichartz) has been running The Soul Shack since November 2005, which makes it one of the oldest continuously running soul and R&B DJ mix podcasts in existence. Each episode is a carefully assembled set that weaves together soulful house, neo-soul, classic R&B, nu-jazz, funk, old school hip-hop, and nu-disco. The mixes are recorded live at venues across North America, including spots in Toronto, New York, Miami, and Los Angeles, which gives each episode a distinct energy and atmosphere.

The production quality reflects two decades of craft. Jamie describes his approach as "eclectic, sophisticated and soulful," and the sets bear that out. He uses remixes and edits to create fresh interpretations of familiar tracks while mixing in lesser-known grooves that reward attentive listeners. Episodes run long, often exceeding three hours, so this is the podcast you put on when you want an extended soundtrack for cooking, working, or winding down. The most recent episode, recorded live at Clockwork in December 2024, clocked in at nearly four hours.

The Soul Shack holds a 4.7-star rating from 33 reviews on Apple Podcasts and releases episodes roughly every two months. There are 11 episodes in the current Apple feed, but archived mixes are available on Mixcloud for listeners who want to go deeper into the back catalog. The show has also spawned live Soul Shack parties in multiple cities. For listeners who want to experience R&B and soul through the lens of a skilled DJ rather than through conversation and commentary, this is the gold standard.